Modeling a Weird Flatcar - (Part 2) SP 43595 or SPMW 1791

 

SP 43595 and SP 45680 (Ex-EPSW) & 45811 - Raymond Breyer collection pre-depression FB, provided by Eric Hansmann to me.

Eric Hansmann sent me a copy of this photo... look at the flatcar to the left.  SP Common Standard F-50-series flatcar... and Andrews Trucks!  Hey, I recognize that load!  It's the same SP 43595 with the transformer load from Part 1!  Note the ex-EPSW gondola is basically the same car that I did the very first blog post here on, SP 45752 kitbash from Mantua 40ft gondola.

Cropping the photo, looking at the repack data. - 3-22-37, so same tare date as the first photo, so this is probably the same day and load.

I've been considering the build date of 1929, the final tare date of 3-1937, and 36 month re-weigh schedule for steel freight cars.  This would suggest a reweigh in 1931 and 1934.  This would fit with the weathering of the car in the photo from March-August 1937, with the weigh data being significantly less weathered than the rest of the car, where class data, etc should be, but is not standing out any longer.  I highly doubt that the car was rebuild in 3-1937, as the SP's first 70-ton flatcar was built new in 2-1937.  This would suggest that the car was rebuilt probably in 1931 or 1934 based on the tare schedule.  It would follow that the SP 43595 lasted until August 1937, after testing of the new 53ft F-70-1 class car for about six months, then the 43595 was retired to become SPMW 1791.

Also given that I've not seen much evidence of the original Common Standard F-50-12 underframe mounting rivets or holes... so I think the car was rebuilt to 70-tons in a complete rebuild, possibly like PFE did where the old car's number was lifted up and a nearly "new" car was (re)build taking up the old number and maybe the brakewheel.

Comparing Common Standard and 70-Ton Rebuild

Example of standard F-50-5/8/9/10/12 class underframe, as on my SPMW 847 model.

I want to show a quick comparison of the standard SP Common Standard 50-ton underframe as seen on F-50-5/8/9/10/12 class cars (above) and the SP 43595 70-ton underframe, as I've kitbashed it (below).  Note the two large cross-members, and a slightly deeper fish-belly centersill.  Also the cross standard light weight cross members (above) and the respaced light weight cross members, around the two heavy ones (below).

KC Brake cylinder and hand-brake rod installed.

I also cut the alignment tab off of the OwlMtModels brake cylinder bracket, as the Tichy Centersill has a small rib remaining, but not a slot to accept the tab of the bracket.  I will just be gluing the bracket to the cylinder and then gluing that to the car with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement liquid.  The detail on the hand brake rod, which is part of the cylinder is cut off at the Bolster, so that I can fit the rod through the Tichy heavy crossbeam.

Thoughts on Trucks 

PSC makes these trucks (PSC Part #31651, $16.00/pr as of Aug 2021).  However, the trucks I borrowed from a Sunset 70-C-9/10 tender have too high of bolster, and the sideframes rub directly on the body bolsters.  So I'll probably look into other options, possibly lowering the sideframes on the journals.

Red Caboose Andrews Truck

My other option is to use a plastic Andrews truck, and kitbash the leaf-springs into it.  For now I'm planning to use a pair of second hand Andrews trucks off a IMRC/RC SP S-40-5 class stock car.  I may decide to do the leaf-spring conversion, as I've done for other Accurail trucks on my AMB/LaserKit cabooses 20-odd years ago.

Cutting out the spring package...

I'll probably have to do a bit more cleaning out of the old spring parts between the sideframe and the truck bolster.

2x4 styrene plugs being installed.

The prototype had a solid bolster end, so I'm filling in the hollow end sections of the truck bolster with 2x4 styrene strips.

Second view of the plugs being installed.

In my previous leaf-spring conversions, I made the new leafs out of laminated styrene strips.  I'm not sure if I'll do that again.  Another possibility is to have a 3d printed truck side frame made custom for this project.  I'm not sure the difference of the U-section cast on the plastic truck sideframes is worth the trouble of designing the special truck, which had more of a T-section or L-section profile through the main sections of the truck.

Painting & Decalling

Here's a low side angle shot of the SPMW 1791

About this point I decided to repaint the car with a mix of mostly Star Brand SP/UP/DRGW Freight Car Red and a bit of Light Freight Car Red, to make the car look a bit sun faded.

Underside view of left side showing Pavement-Oxide Brown AppleBarrel paint weathering.

I added a Kadee red bolster washer, which is needed to bring this pre-production module up to height.  The A-end bolster is one of the kit bolster hat-sections installed, but with the shim only, hat collar is removed to use the RC Andrews trucks on the car.  - Note the scribbed notes on the weight cover, including the comment of the car's 70-ton capacity and the car's assignment as a Ditcher-Flat.

SPMW 1791 decals from OMM 1210 decal set applied to left side.

I decided to put a little light weathering on the sub-deck blocking, which should give the chipped paint off the wood parts.  If the SP 43595 was retired in 8-37, and last tare date in 3-37, then by 1952-ish the car could be getting pretty ratty, but the car was probably restencilled at least once during those 15 years.

Underside view showing the right side with the KC brakes.

This pre-production model has bolsters and coupler-draft gear boxes from a failed pre-production mold which was not machined correctly, so several very small changes were made between this and production.

More of the right-side view of the SPMW 1791.

These shots show the color changes in the three areas of the car.  Underside getting more darker gray 'oil-grime' weathering, the wood chipping/fading and the steel car staying a bit more natural color.

I then added a bit of the gray-grime wash with some brown over the steel sides just to knock down the basic coloring a little bit.

Capacity weight decal fragments pieced together.

The odd part of this car is that I need to custom gather the 70-ton capacity data from my RC/EspeeModels F-70-7 sets and the OMM 1210 F-50-decal sets.  I mounted the trucks again.  A little more putty will be needed to finish filling in the truck bolster ends.  I still need to put on the repack data just inboard of the right stirrup step.

Deck Weathering

I roughed up the deck, with emphasis on the damage from tracked vehicles.

I did a bit of deck weathering.  I try to do each deck a bit different from the others I've done.  The deck will be masked when I shoot the finish coat of FCR paint.  For more on weathering flatcar decks in this style, check out my YoutTube video on Weathering Tutorial Flatcar Decks.

Deck weathering after airbrushing FCR on sides and slight black wash.

Probably close to the final deck weathering after airbrushing FCR on sides for decaling.  The couplers are weathered a bit with some rusty brown and a little bit of darker weathering wash over the knuckles where grease would be.

In Closing

Check out the cranes on the Ditcher-Flats behind the NWP MW 191 - Tiburon 1960 - Tony Johnson Photo (FB - SP RR)

I think I'm gonna button up the project until I get around to solving the leaf-spring solution.  I'll also need the same type of leaf-spring on the SPMW 438 Scale Repair Car trucks.  At some point, I'll probably be working on some SP Company earth moving equipment, a steam shovel, or something to use as a load.

P.S. Continuing Tweaks to the Deck

I did a bit more weathering on the SPMW 1791 deck to bring out the detail a bit more.

Jason Hill

Related Articles:

Modeling a Weird Flatcar - (Part 1) SP 43595 or SPMW 1791

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Modeling Scale Test & Repair Cars - (Part 2) SPMW 790 & 438

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Modeling SP MOW (Part 3) blogpost by Anthony Thompson, part of a series on Modeling SPMW.